Author
Topic: Where goes our council now ? (Read 788 times)

I seem to remember that these offices were touted as a possible site for the relocation of our West Berkshire council when they sell of there exiting premises for the urban village ? Clearly this is no longer the case so can we assume some other plan, that we the council tax payers no nothing about, is in favour ? Hopefully not linked to the £50 million of extra property investment they have just applied for ! I won't hold my breath waiting for straight answers.

Lets do some blue sky thought association. Council no longer interested in Bayer offices so will need alternative. NWN site and NFC site soon to be vacant. Council borrow £50 million for commercial property investment. Council introduce Green waste charge to raise £700,000 per year on top of the maximum council tax rise allowed including an extra 3% for increased adult social care costs. Anything else anyone can think of ?

Given that most of the Council's functions have been devolved to other organisations and there is a culture for 'working from home', I'd be surprised if WBC couldn't be accommodated in a couple of spare rooms in the Town Hall. That would also make it so much easier when the Government call time - which can't be too far off.

May be a need for a rapid development of a new offices to house our much loved NDC ? Such a space would be ideal. It would be great if they were honest enough to let us know what there plans are but I guess our only role will be to pay for their profligacy.

Even now and even if they were pushed together, our local councils are lush with office space. Moving to Beyer offices would simply enable the paper empires to grow. They are both wholly unnecessary and as out of date as the old nationalised utilities. Today's Newbury isn't big or important enough to need its own local council, let alone administrative offices. Just let Reading or Wokingham suck the few remaining responsibilities and spend the money saved on the NHS - not luxury offices....please!

It's the dishonest silence on what their plans actually are that raises my ire. The whole council based model of a single supplier service provider with no consumer choice is well past it's sell by date and allows an abuse of power that has no place in modern society. Captured by 'fey' politicians the smell that emanates is sickening. These are not competent and fit persons for public office.

Yet more evidence of the bottomless money pit that WBC has become ? The degree of disinterested incompetence this represents is truly astounding and would have earned anyone and all of the leadership the sack in the private sector. Asleep at the wheel they continue to cover their incompetence with ever increasing demands for extra revenue from council tax payers. Totally and utterly shameless and shameful. https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/home/25333/council-spent-9m-on-temporary-staff-in-two-years.html